After 13 Years, The US Will Finally Get Britain's Wooden Sports Car

Back in 2016, Morgan announced that it would finally be able to sell its four-wheel cars in the US once again. The small UK automaker was able to receive an exemption courtesy of the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015, the same law that has also allowed DeLorean to produce new cars. After a 13 year gap in the US market, you will finally be allowed to buy a four-wheel Morgan in the US (the Morgan Three-wheeler has been around for a few years). Morgan will sell the Plus 4 with a base price of $69,995 and the Roadster 3.7 with a base price of $79,995. These prices exclude freight, options, taxes, and fees, as well as one very important feature.

Both models are immediately available now and can be configured on Morgan's website. Speaking with Hemmings, Morgan USA founder Bill Fink explained that “We’ve been kicking this around for a while, but this came from Morgan this time. Back in December 2015, Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the act regarding new cars made to resemble cars at least 25 years old. This gave the EPA and NHTSA a year to institute the program. At that point, a number of people started spending money, getting facilities, buying components and equipment. It’s now coming up on year three, and so far, the agencies have done nothing," which explains the long delay in Morgan's return.

Fink went on to say that "Virtually anything that’s been built in the last 50 years and has captured someone’s interest will be available. The act basically said that, if you don’t produce more than 5,000 cars a year, and if you don’t sell more than 325 cars a year in America, then if you register with NHTSA, and the EPA will issue some guidance on complying engines, then you’re away, and you can build a car that looks like one from 25, 35, 50 years ago. It doesn’t need bumpers, sun visors, or airbags."

This law sounds great, but there have been issues regarding engines. The Morgan Plus 4 and Roadster are both sold with Ford engines - a Focus-derived 2.0-liter producing 154 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque in the Plus 4, and a Mustang-derived 3.7-liter V6 producing 280 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque both going out to six-speed manuals. Unfortunately, Morgan will have to sell the cars as a rolling chassis and owners will have to purchase these engines directly from Ford.

It is worth noting that Morgan's prices do estimate the cost of the engine and installation, so around $70,000 and $80,000 will be close to the final starting prices. It may not be cheap, but the hassle may be worth it to drive such a unique car on US streets.